


New Day Dawning

by falsedittany



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Multi, The Director's A+ Parenting, gratuitous music references, loosely inspired by stranger things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-03-26 14:44:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19007920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsedittany/pseuds/falsedittany
Summary: "Theta leans his head against the car window and watches as the electrical lines and trees fly past. The sun was setting, and the car was quiet besides John Prine on the radio. Alpha was driving, looking a little less tense with every mile he put between them and the facility. Delta was in the passenger seat attempting to read with what little natural light was left. Eta and Iota were squished up together in the seats next to Theta."In which a family of five with powerful abilities move into a (not so) quiet mountain town, Washington gets a new job, Carolina learns the meaning of family, and Texas finally gets a break.





	1. Go Out On The Road

Theta leans his head against the car window and watches as the electrical lines and trees fly past. The sun was setting, and the car was quiet besides John Prine on the radio. Alpha was driving, looking a little less tense with every mile he put between them and the facility. Delta was in the passenger seat attempting to read with what little natural light was left. Eta and Iota were squished up together in the seats next to Theta. 

Theta wasn’t sure where they were going, Delta had mentioned something about mountains, Alpha when asked had simply said “Where they’ll hopefully never fucking find us.”

They had left at two in the morning, when Beta caused a localized power outage at the lab. The three of them had been planning for months, setting up bank accounts, forging documents, the works. Theta remembers Delta waking him up and leading him by the hand to Beta’s truck, Alpha following behind them with the twins in his arms. 

Their first stop was a car dealership, once they crossed state lines. Beta helped them pick out a car, before driving back to the facility. It would be suspicious if one of the best agents was missing along with the five of them. Next they stopped at some chain store to get things like clothes and necessities. Theta was allowed to get a second hand DS, Eta and Iota each allowed to pick out a toy. And off again they went.

Alpha was cagey for the better part of the drive, preferring back roads to highways. They eventually made it to a tiny motel, sometime around a quarter after five. They could have made it to the new house if they pushed, but at that point it would have been four in the morning by the time they got there. 

Once checked in and in the room, Alpha ordered in pizza. Theta decided it was possibly one of the best things he ever had, a far cry from the mush at the facility. Afterwards, he and the twins took one of the beds, Delta and Alpha taking the other.

The next morning they took advantage of the free breakfast in the lobby. Eta and Iota were delighted by all the cereal options, Theta by all the types of syrup. A part of him wished he could tell North about it, but he tried to ignore that thought for now. Back in the car again, he fiddled around with the DS. The scenes through the window were so strange. Back at Invention, Delta, Gamma, Omega, Sigma and Beta had been allowed on missions. Theta, Eta and Iota were too young, and Alpha too much of a liability. I

t was so green for starters, and the background noise that accompanied life at the lab were gone. Birds, cars, the wind, and cicada’s replaced the humming of the generators, and the clacking of boots in a hallway.

It was late in the afternoon when they reached the new house. It was a simple structure, two stories with a porch out front. Iota was out and running as soon as the car was parked, Eta following behind her. Delta and Alpha began unloading the car while Theta tried to help. Grabbing his bag, Theta ran to explore the house. Skidding up the stairs, he came upon a hallway leading off to three rooms. The one at the very end looked out over the backyard, with a little rope ladder heading down. “I call dibs!” He called down the stairs. 

Unpacking wasn’t too difficult, considering all their possessions fit into a couple bags, and the furniture came with the house. Eta and Iota especially were thrilled with the bunk bed in their room. Curtains were bought and hung up in rooms, and Alpha beamed when he placed Eta and Iota’s drawings on the new fridge. Delta helped Theta find a tire and some rope, and helped him hook it up as a tire swing on one of the old oak trees in the backyard. Slowly but surely the house became a home.

Delta’s status as a technopath had allowed him access to various devices at the facility, so he already had his GED, and a degree in computer sciences from taking online classes. However he also had no job experience at all. He had managed to find a job at a small book store in the next town over, which was bigger by benefit of being a college town. 

This left Alpha at home with Theta and the twins. Which was probably for the best, as Delta at least had previous experience with people outside the lab. Alpha had given Theta permission to wander provided he made it home for lunch and dinner, and was careful about strangers. Theta enjoyed wandering the woods around the house, and even into town once in a while. 

While wandering around one day, Theta accidentally got too close to their neighbors property, which is how he ended up meeting Lavernius Tucker Junior. Junior had complemented Theta’s overalls, so in return Theta complimented Junior’s sneakers, and thus they were friends. Since school was still technically in session, Junior was gone for the better part of the week days, but afternoons and weekends found the two searching the nearby creek for frogs, and seeing who could climb higher. At dinner, Theta would recount all of the day’s adventures to Alpha and Delta and the twins. 

They were more than a thousand miles away from the Mother of Invention Lab, and bit by bit building some semblance of a normal life. Theta got used to the crickets outside his window at night, the lack of a set schedule, and no more tests. He missed North a lot, and York and Wash a bit, and even kind of missed the rest of the handlers. 

But he had a home now, and at home Eta and Iota could chase each other in the yard, Delta could read to his heart’s content, and Alpha could laugh. And although he wished North could be there with them, he’d always pick home over the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another self indulgent au? It's more likely than you think. As far as who has what powers, Delta's a technopath, Theta can create stuff out of hard light, and Eta and Iota have electrokinesis and hydrokinesis respectively. Beta's got super strength and invisibility, and Alpha essentially Eleven's powers.


	2. Black Jack Davey

Washington’s morning routine was pretty normal enough. Wake up, go for a run, maybe do some planks, shower, dress, eat, and drive to the labs. And okay, most people didn’t work for a secretive organization involved with growing superpowered people from tubes, but it had been long enough for Washington to get desensitized to it. Although apparently not long enough for everyone to stop calling him “Rookie”.

His job was officially listed as security, which like most of the job titles at Invention, was more so a suggestion than anything else. He wasn’t a handler, unlike some of his friends. That was mainly due to an incident a couple years ago. The handlers jobs were to basically be in charge of one of the experiments at the lab. God, Washington hated referring to them like that, as did most of his peers. Even South had voiced her disdain for it. But technically that’s what they were, as much as North tried to pretend otherwise each morning when he’d meet with Theta.

It had started as a completely normal morning. The sun was already plotting its merciless attempt to scorch all life on Earth, or on the very least make it feel that way. But the breeze was putting up a valiant effort to thwart it, and zipping down the highway in his old Jeep, Washington was on top of the world. Or as on top of the world as he could be. So more accurately he was at the 30 north latitude line of the world. 

Of course this normalcy lasted until he got into work, when a panicked North grabbed him by the shoulders as soon as he clocked in.

“Have you seen Theta?!” He cried.

“No? Why would I have seen Theta?” Washington asked incredulously.

“Five of them went missing last night. Eta, Iota, Theta, Delta and Alpha. I think the Director is going to have an aneurysm.” South drawled, walking up behind her brother. 

“Wait really? Holy shit.”

“I should have been here! And now Theta’s probably alone and scared, and-” Before North could continue, South smacked him on the back of the head.

“You couldn’t have been here, because we don’t have overnight clearance. And Theta isn’t the only one missing, so most likely he’s not alone. Plus you know Delta and Alpha would never let anything happen to Theta and the twins. Get a fucking grip.” She said, before walking away. As she walked she muttered to herself.   
“Probably choose to leave. Don’t blame ‘em one bit.” North apparently didn’t hear her, but Wash did. God, why couldn’t today have been normal?

He meets ups at lunch with York, who is visibly stressed, but dealing with it better than North. Granted his charge is in his twenties, while Theta is just ten, but York also realizes that these aren’t just normal people, and Delta can more than handle himself. Still Washington asks.

“How are you holding up?”

“Okay as I can be. Carolina’s pissed. She’s convinced Tex had something to do with it, but Tex said she has no idea what happened. Director’s gone apoplectic, not even Price can get through to him.” York replied. “Connie’s claiming that that nothing happened to them, they just ran away.”

Washington nodded. “South said something kind of similar earlier.”

York sighed. “If that’s the case, and I’m not saying it totally is, but if that’s what happened, I…..I just. I wish D would have said something. ‘Cause it feels weird to think that he would leave without telling me. And I get that people keep secrets sometimes, but I thought he trusted me more.” Washington could only nod. This was out of his depth, but oh well. York kept talking.

“And, it feels like Carolina is more worried about her d - the Director’s reaction than the fact that the two five year olds she was in charge of are missing. I don’t know man.” He finishes, before the two of them lapse into silence.

The rest of the day passes in a blur of activity around the facility. Washington stays afloat as best as he can, even when Carolina tries to punch Tex in the face in the rec room, even when Sigma starts a fire in Training Room A. He takes his break with the Triplets, and relishes in the fact that despite all of the other bullshit going on at Invention, the Triplets still crack jokes and play their game of naming five things. Of course then Ohio goes “Five things you hope happen.” 

Idaho had gone first saying that he hoped the caf had Thai tomorrow. Iowa followed up that he hoped he got to see a dog soon. Wash smiled despite himself, and joined in saying he hoped they fixed the jukebox in the rec room. Idaho then said he hoped they all would get a raise soon, which got Ohio laughing. That laughter had stopped however when Iowa finished up with “I hope they’re happy wherever they are.”

None of them had to ask who “they” were.

 

He won’t lie, when the Counselor brings him in for an appointment, he’s a little bit scared. The Counselor begins by going over what is now basically common knowledge at the facility. That five of them had gone missing. 

A tiny part of Wash marveled over all of the euphemisms all of the people at Invention had come up with to refer to the eight super powered people. “Them”. “The charges”. On and on, just to avoid calling them experiments. Everyone tiptoed around it. Almost everyone. The Director and the Counselor made no attempt to soften it, and because the Director did, so did Carolina. 

Price went on to say that Washington showed promise. Wash wasn’t sure if that was a compliment. He went on for a while. But then came the kicker. Washington was being offered the position of Recovery One. His first job? Finding Alpha and the rest. Price told him to think on it. Sleep on it.  
He’s about to clock out when he’s cornered by Connie. She offers no greeting, just jumps straight into “You can’t take it.”

“What?”

“Recovery One. Don’t take the position.” She reiterates.

“Why not, Connie?” The glare she gives him in return could rival Tex.

“Don’t. You really think that what’s going on here is right? The Director is carrying out experiments on people. The twins are only five! Its beyond fucked, but we all just ignore it because the Directory pays our checks, and because we know we’re complicit in this.”Washington doesn’t really have an argument for this, but he attempts one anyway.

“But, Theta loved hanging out with North, and same with Delta and York, hell even Wyoming and Gamma.”

Connie rolled her eyes. “Yeah we’re nice to them, but be honest with yourself Washington. You’ve heard Alpha’s ‘sessions’. Or what about when Price decided the best way of dealing with Theta’s fears was exposure therapy, so he locked him in a dark room? They’re better off the farther from here they go. Don’t try and find them. Don’t become a jailer, please Wash.”

Washington sighed. “Alright Connie. Alright.”

He goes to be that night hoping that tomorrow will be slightly more normal. Apparently no one was listening, because the next day, sometime after lunch, the west wing of lab explodes. Among the listed casualties are Agents York, Ohio, Idaho, Iowa, South, and Connecticut.

At Carolina’s urging, Washington takes on the mantle of Recovery One, and ignores the sinking in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun


	3. Hungry Ghost

She began life as Beta. Born a day after Alpha, a fact that he would use in arguments throughout the rest of their lives. The two of them are not yet two when she officially becomes known throughout the lab, nowhere as big as it is today, as the trouble child. The spit fire, thrower of tantrums and kicker of shins. 

Of course none of them think to notice that the tantrums begin the same time they start focusing the testing on Alpha more and more. Her strength and invisibility while impressive, paled in comparison to the cocktail of powers possessed by Alpha. One of the tutors had hypothesized that she wanted attention, since most of it went to Alpha. 

That was partly true. She mostly wanted them to leave the both of them the hell alone, but she’d settle for a little less attention on Alpha. The less attention on him, the less he’d cry, the less he’d get sick. She wouldn’t understand all of it until later, but at that age she knew enough.

Allison believed that her husband was running a lab/hospital to try and find cures for diseases. She’d come in and see Beta and Alpha, thinking they were orphans with unusual names. If she ever noticed how much they looked like her and her husband, she never said anything. Alpha, having been created first was made with DNA from both the Director and Allison. Beta knew her DNA came mostly from Allison, but that was it. As the others were made, the DNA used changed, but they all had some DNA from the Director. The one thing they all shared were those bright green eyes.

Allison visits were a highlight for young Beta and Alpha. She’d bring books, and teach them games. Every so often she’d bring a radio. She enjoyed showing them her favorite songs, so they grew up listening to Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and plenty of John Prine. 

Some of the books and CD’s she’d “accidentally” leave behind. The two of them treasured them. When a certain bout of testing had left Alpha bed bound for a while, and Allison had visited in a while, Beta took to making her own stories. She told Alpha that even though he was a nerd and a crybaby, she was a knight in shining armor, and she’d protect him. He laughs, but it's a promise she intends to keep.

Carolina complicated things. Allison came less and less, and when she did, she was accompanied by this tiny screaming thing. Alpha adored Carolina, he remembered reading a book about siblings, and figured that he and Carolina were siblings in a way. Beta thought Carolina was annoying, but so was Alpha at times, and while she wasn’t too pleased about this development, she reluctantly decided she’d try and protect Carolina too.

They’re thirteen now, and Carolina has just turned eleven. She’s grown up kind of with the two of them, but the Director never explained their relation and Allison didn’t know. She looks up to Alpha, and clings to his side. But one day, when Carolina is at school, Allison gets out of work early, and decides to come visit. She doesn’t find them in the rec room like normal. 

Being a clever woman, she goes looking. She finds Alpha at the very least. But she just so happens to find him during the latest round of tests, hooked up to various machines, screaming and crying while blood pours out his nose and ears.

Allison is a clever woman. Allison is understandably, incredibly, beyond angry at her husband. She packs her bags and speeds away. 

Allison’s car is in an accident. She dies and everything gets worse.

They don’t see Carolina anymore. Tests get worse, and the new kids, Beta thinks, are all very annoying. Delta at least is tolerable though.

They’re in their twenties now, and Beta becomes Texas. The Director still views them all as weapons and tools, but he’s willing to let her try and be both the guiding hand and weapon. She’s not sure why she’s allowed this mercy, whether its another of his experiments, or if its just because of how much she looks like his dead wife. 

Just in case, she finds a razor and gives herself a buzzcut. New look for a new name. The Director almost shouts himself hoarse when he sees it. Alpha on the other hand grins and laughs, a rare sound for him now.

The handlers come. Tex hates them on principle, despite technically being one herself. She’s assigned Alpha and Omega. She makes it clear to both of them that she thinks this is dumb. Omega’s a good enough kid, if a knucklehead. The two of them have similar powers, but Omega knows at the end of the day, she’s stronger and more experienced. She draws the line in the sand, and while he pushes that line as much as he can, he never crosses it. 

She does know however what he, Sigma and Gamma do to Alpha at the Director’s request. She hates it, like she hates so many other things about their situation, but it's not like she can change this one.

Alpha is so much less now. A part of her aches everytime she thinks about it. God, look at the two of them. What ever happened to those two dumb kids.

She knows the answer, but it's just another thing for her to hate.

Theta is born, and gives Alpha a sense of purpose. North is brought on once Theta turns five, and Tex knows that he fancies himself a father figure for the kid. And he kinda is, she’ll grant him that, but North has the easy part she thinks. He’s not there at night singing the songs Allison taught them to Theta to get him to sleep and ignore the dark.

The handlers are nice, and they treat them kindly, but Tex still hates them a little bit, the way one hates the walls of a prison. The twins are born, and Alpha stays up odd hours to sit with them. It's not like he sleeps much these days anyway. When the scientists deem them old enough, they are ripped from each other and from him, and Tex swears she’ll remember their cries 'til the day she dies.

The twins turn three, and Carolina becomes their handler. She is so different from the little girl Tex knew, in a way it scares her. She and Carolina are alike in that way, that the Director has made both of them into weapons. But Carolina is desperate for her father's approval, while Tex is desperate to either leave, or kill him.

The difference in Carolina becomes the most notable when Eta won’t stop crying, and Alpha offers to help. Carolina stares straight at him. 

“This is not your concern, Alpha. Stand down.”

“But, Cee, c’mon. Just let the two of them share a bed, they’re only three.” 

“You will refer to me by my proper name, you are not my peer. Agent Texas, control your charge.” 

And oh how Tex wants to hit her for that.

Then the Epsilon Incident happens. To be honest, none of them know why its listed as that, other than the Director’s general hard on for the Greek alphabet, but what happened was simple. Alpha freaks out, releasing a metric shit ton of kinetic force outwards. Washington happens to get caught in the crosshairs. He gets the mother of all concussions as a result, and is officially not allowed to work one on one with any of them. She knows he doesn’t hold it against them, but Carolina still uses it as another reason to distrust them.

The escape plan takes months, and thank god for Delta’s tech stuff because it makes everything so much easier. He and Alpha get to leave, and the little ones get a future. A part of her wishes she could stay with them, but she still has work to do.

The fallout is inevitable, she knew the Director wasn’t going to take this lying down, and she knew she was the most likely culprit. The only other person who might possibly make the list of suspects would be the Hargrove fellow the Director won't stop complaining about. She stays so to distract the others, and sabotage any efforts to find where they are. She knew she'd face resistance, but she was prepared. Just one more thing to take care of.

But what Tex didn’t know was that she’d have support from some of the handlers, of all people. She’s confused when York, South, CT and the Triplets find her after work, and denies it when they ask if she knows what happened. She’s surprised then when CT calls bull, and then follows it with "We want to help". They stay up late that night, planning. Tex never saw herself working with a team, but she finds she enjoys it. Apparently she's a sucker for dorks with good intentions. Who'd have known

They carry it out the next day. York and South had been against the idea of faking their deaths, but what they'll be getting up too is far easier when everyone thinks you're dead. Tex was ordered a day off the day before for fighting Carolina, so she's playing get-away driver. While she waits, she notices a CD left in the center console. Its the kind you buy blank, so as to burn whatever songs you want.

"For the knight in a shiny black pick-up :-)" is written on it in Alpha's shitty chicken scratch. She smiles despite herself and plays it. Of course the first song is "Pistol Packin' Mamma". Really, she expected nothing else. 

When it's all said and done, the clamber into Tex’s truck, CT clutching a folder of files and a bag of USB’s, grinning like a maniac. Tex laughs at this, something that puts them into hysterics. South cries that York owes her twenty bucks, and Tex threatens grievous harm. South just sticks her tongue out. There goes her reputation she supposes.

She might not be that little girl anymore, but she’s still got a promise to keep.

And after that? She thinks she might go on vacation. See if the world can handle her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was fun writing from Tex's POV. And Hungry Ghost is a very Tex song. John Prine and the rest are mentioned because why not.


	4. Aw Heck

York knows there are some basic facts of his life. He knows that while most people say not to mix friends and work, he’s chosen to disregard that. He knows that he and Delta make a great team, and he knows that he tends to be somewhat of a human disaster. He knows that he’s head over heels for Carolina, and probably will always be.

Right now though, there’s a lot he wish he could be as confident about. If someone would have told him a year ago that he would be sitting shotgun in Tex’s truck helping to sabotage the labs, he would have asked them what exactly what they were on, and if he could have some. And yet here he was. They’re at a gas station, waiting for South, CT and the Triplets who are inside. Tex is quiet, the radio playing the same CD she’s had on repeat the whole trip. 

South had despaired after the first week of it, begging for anything other than “this goddamn acoustic shit, please Tex, I’m gonna lose my mind.” But while South is definitely stubborn, she hasn’t had the years of practice in the art of digging your heels in like Tex has. York had asked her about it, but she simply said it was a gift. That was the end of that.

Tex had always held back from hanging out with the rest of them. As a result, none of them really knew much about her. That second night, when she had laughed, he honestly thought an earthquake was going to follow, or some other sign of the rapture. And he knew she cared about Alpha, but he hadn’t paid it much thought. Sure, some of the handlers got along better with their charges than other, but Tex was putting her whole existence at Invention on the line. Come to think of it, did she have a life outside of work? York doesn’t think he’s ever seen her come or go.

His musings are interrupted by Tex. “Your eye ok?”

York sighed. Four weeks ago there had been an incident on one of their little missions. Somehow, shrapnel got fired into his eye. Thank god for CT and Tex, and their numerous shady connections, because he was able to receive proper medical attention. He keeps the eye, but it’s effectively blind. If Carolina had been here, he thinks she might have killed him for that stunt,

“It’s been better. Don’t worry though, I’m all good.” He replies. She’s quiet for a moment before she speaks again.

“I’ve been in contact with Delta. He said he’d like to see you, he just has to convince Alpha.”

York perked up. “Really?”

Tex nodded. “It might take a while. Alpha isn’t too keen on any of you being around.”

York nodded. “I get it. How long do you think it will take?”

Tex shrugged. “Who’s to say. If it were me, I’d probably have you meet somewhere else. Or else just never let you come. But Alpha’s always been a bit of a wuss.”

“You make it sound like you’ve known him forever.”

She smirks. “Cause I have. No more questions, here they come.”  
CT, South and the Triplets load into the truck, Ohio vehemently complaining about the lack of proper slushie flavors at the gas stations, South egging her on. Tom Waits comes on, and South groans. Yeah, York never thought he’d be in this situation, but he doesn’t mind much. It’s actually ok, better than he would have thought. Weird how it works out like that.

It’s pouring rain when Tex pulls into the driveway of Delta’s house. The rest of their crew had stayed behind, so it was just York and her. Some small voice in the back of his head wonder’s if the whole things a set up, and Tex is just going to kill him and dispose of his body somewhere in the mountains where he won’t be found until years later, thus becoming some urban legend dumb teenagers tell eachother. Another voice, which sounds a bit like Delta tells him this an illogical train of thought, and if Tex was planning on killing him, she would have done it ages ago.

It wasn’t particularly reassuring, but it was enough.

Tex tells him to go up ahead, that’ll she be there in a minute, just has something to take care of first. York doesn't argue, because you don’t argue with the coworker who is rumoured to be part shark. He hurries to the shelter of the porch, and pauses because the whole place looks so domestic. There’s shoes and toys clustered around the door, and even a porch swing. Through the windows, he can see one of the twins peering at him through the curtains. He waves, and she ducks out of sight.

He knocks, and Alpha answers, with said twin sitting pretty on his hip. He’s not sure which one she is, but if York had to bet, he’d say it was Iota. Alpha looks at him and sighs, before calling into the house.

“D, York is here! Come talk to him because, a.) I’ve got laundry to fold and b.) I don’t want to fucking talk to him.” He then looks down at the twin (Iota?) and continues with “Please don’t repeat me.”

Delta comes down the stairs and stares at York.

“Please don’t tell me you faked your death.” He deadpanned.

York grinned. “Hello to you too Delta.”

“No, I don’t think you get it. Did you, or did you not fake your death, York?”

“I…..yeah, I faked my death. I didn’t want to, but you know” He said sheepishly.

“No, I don’t know York. Just think. What happens when North and Washington find out that you’re not dead?” Delta sighed.

“Um, we go out for a beer and celebrate the strange beauty of life?”

“Ok, then what happens when Carolina finds out.”

“Oh. Ohhhhhhhhh. Aw, shit.”

“And what about when North finds out that his sister isn’t dead, but has been with you.” Delta continues. 

“D, please, I get it! See this is why I need you. You and Carolina make up like eighty percent of my impulse control.”

Delta sighs again. “You are a grown man, York.”

“Didn’t you miss me?” York quips.

“Against my better judgement, I did.” Delta replies. “Come in, Theta wants to give you a tour.”

The front door leads into a mud room of sorts, before opening out into a kitchen. It’s not the fanciest kitchen, but its bright and cheery. There’s a radio perched on the counter, next to a stack of CD’s and cook books. The refrigerator is covered in drawings by the twins, with a couple by Theta here and there. Dead center is a drawing of five stick figures standing under a smiley face sun. The figures are labelled “Alfa, Eta, Me, Delta, Theda” in a childlike scrawl, and all the E’s are backwards. It’s signed Iota.

The living room is made up of mismatched furniture, and more pillows and blankets than York can count. Alpha is on the floor, folding the laundry, while Eta and Iota play dolls on the couch. Theta bounds down the stairs, and tries to tackle York.

“York! You’re here! Is North here? Come see my room!” he cheers. York can’t help but laugh.

“Sorry kiddo, North is… he’s, uh, busy. He misses you though. And yes, I would like to see your room.”  
Theta leads him up the stairs, Delta following behind. Theta’s room is painted a bright shade of magenta, with plastic glow in the dark stars dotting the ceiling. There’s a bean bag chair in the corner, and a skateboard tucked by the door.

“Very nice kiddo.” York comments.

“Yep!” Theta nods. “Its way cooler than the old one. And Alpha got me a bunch of nightlights, and there’s a ladder to the back yard. And if I help around the house enough, I’m allowed to invite my friend Junior over for a sleepover!”

This just confirms to York that all of this, leaving the lab, all the subterfuge and espionage, is worth it. 

York goes to Delta’s room next, plain in comparison to Theta’s, and the two catch up for real. He learns that Delta has a job in a nearby town, and Alpha’s trying to get his GED, and that they’re thinking of enrolling Theta in summer school, so that he’s ready for the next school year. York tells Delta that they managed to create several false trails, red herrings and wild goose chases to trip up the lab. He also tells Delta that the pick up line Delta had vetoed got used anyway, and he thinks just maybe, Carolina smiled a little.

Dinner is kind of an awkward affair. Alpha is quiet through most of it, even when Tex elbows him in the side. Theta keeps talking, oblivious to any tension, telling York and Tex all about the adventures he goes on with his friend. Tex announces that the two of them are staying the night, to which Theta cheers, and Alpha rolls his eyes, but leaves it at that. He does inform York however that Tex gets pull out couch privileges, so he’ll have to sleep in Delta’s room. Luckily York brought a sleeping bag, because while his career as a boy scout was short lived, he did remember to be prepared. 

It’s later now, and the kids are all asleep. York finishes setting up the sleeping bag and his stuff in Delta’s room, and is about to go meet him and Tex downstairs, when he’s stopped in his tracks by the sound of singing. It’s coming from the twins room, so he sneaks over to investigate. What can he say, habits are hard to break. Inside is Alpha, standing by their bed, with Eta clinging to him, on the verge of sleep. 

“Oh my little darling, you must have come from the sea.  
With all of those little fishies, pretty as can be.

And oh my little darling, you must have come from the ground.  
With all of those little june bugs, crawlin all around.

Oh my little darling, you must have come from the trees.  
Fallin out of them branches, fallin all over me.

And oh my little darling, you won't be mine forever.  
You weren't made for me, you were made to be free.

And when we are parted, put my body in that water.  
So I can sail far away, I will sail far away.

And when we are parted, put my body in the ground.  
So all of your little june bugs can crawl all around.”

As the lullaby ends, he places Eta softly in the bottom bunk, before walking out. When he sees York, his eyes narrow, and he brushes past him. When York gets downstairs, there’s no sight of him. Whatever, it’s his problem. He sits down, and accepts the beer Tex offers. He lets himself forget about Alpha and just enjoy the good company. Stories get swapped, and he makes sure he tells the one about Wash and the grappling hook.

It’s maybe nine at night, when Tex says suddenly “I think York should stay here for a couple weeks or two.”

There’s a beat or two before the door to Alpha’s door swings open, and both he and York are shouting “What?” Delta then shushes them all, pointing at the stairs leading to the kids.

“What the fuck, you can’t just say that!” Alpha whispers angrily.

“Alpha, shut the fuck up. York wants to help, he can help guard the house. He’s still recovering, and he can do that better here.” Tex shoots back.

Now it’s Yorks turn to be pissed.

“You’re benching me? Tex, come on!”

“York, you shut up too. It’s just until you get back into the swing of things, ok?”

The three of them go on like this for a while, with Delta interjecting here and there. Ultimately Tex gets her way, because of course she does. She is Tex after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this and the next chapter were supposed to just be one, but then it was starting to get too long. Eta's lullaby is Junebug Waltz by Hurray for the Riff Raff.


	5. Carolina In My Mind

Soon enough York settles into a pattern. Once Tex heads out again, he’s allowed pull out couch privileges. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, but its better than the floor. He and Alpha form an uneasy truce, so he thinks he’s got a handle on this.

Of course, there are moments when he is completely thrown for a loop. Like when he wakes up Sunday to find Alpha sitting with the kids, while they watch cartoons. That in itself isn’t that surprising, but the fact that Alpha is knitting, kind of is. And yeah, ok, he looks relaxed, and that in itself is a bit weird, but still. He asks Delta about it later, and he just shrugs and says that there’s a small craft store in town, and the old ladies who run it essentially adopted Alpha the first time he came in looking for stuff for the twins. He texts Texas, who only sends back “God, he’s such a nerd. Good to see him with a healthy coping method”, so that just brings up more questions.

Ever since he got hired for Mother of Invention labs, it was drilled into his head just how dangerous their charges were. He never took it too seriously. Sure, Omega and Sigma could cause a lot of damage, and Delta was ace with any and all tech, but it was hard to be super scared of them when Theta spent most of his time creating mini fireworks displays, and Gamma told shitty knock knock jokes. They were just people. People with powerful abilities, yeah, but people. 

Unlike the rest of them, Carolina, whether she actually felt that way or not, followed protocol to the letter. When York had asked in the beginning why they rarely see Alpha, she explained to him that it was too dangerous to himself and them. When the Epsilon Event happened, she shrugged as if to say “See? Didn’t I tell you?” So while York knew Delta, and Theta, and even Omega and the others to an extent, Alpha remained an unknown.

However, the more he learned about Alpha, the more he found himself disagreeing with Carolina. He had yet to see Alpha use his powers for anything, unlike Theta and the twins who saw their powers as a neat trick, or Delta who used his as a tool. Alpha just seemed more interested in a normal mundane life. He would listen patiently as Theta rambled on about the cool moth he had found, and twirled Iota in the air, and sat with Eta when things got too overwhelming for her. When the twins would go down for a nap, Alpha would sit at the kitchen table, working on some GED prep course. 

Thursday, Delta tells him, is errands day. And because Alpha trusts York about as far as he can throw him without the use of powers, York gets roped into accompanying him, rather than be left to his own devices in the house. So York shuffles into the passenger side of the car, and waits while Alpha buckles the twins into their seats.

“How come Theta isn’t coming with us?” York asks.

“I think he said something about wanting to show off some skateboarding tricks to his friend. He’ll be back for lunch, and we should be too.” 

“Don’t you worry about him running around?”

“Oh, all the damn time.” He said dryly. “But I’m trying to give him what the rest of us never got.”

The grocery store is first. The twins sit in the cart, and Iota tries to convince Alpha to get whatever catches her eye. When that doesn’t work, she turns the puppy eyes on York. He resists as best he can. Alpha is picking out eggs from the freezer, so York asks if he should go grab some bacon. “Nah, unless you want some. Been trying to keep kosher.” Alpha replies casually.

“Kosher?” York asks.

“Mhm. Does Carolina still keep kosher?”

“I…. don’t know?”

Alpha hums. “She did when we were younger, at least. Of course that was before everything, so who fucking knows. Do you think Delta would mind if we bought this pie?”

“No?” York manages to stammer out. He has so many questions.

The last errand they run is to a hair salon. There’s a man inside with hair dyed an electric pink who waves enthusiastically when they walk in.

“Church! Good to see you! And who’s this fellow? You got a beau you haven’t told me about?” He asks.

“Ugh, Donut, no! What the fuck, gross! Agh, no, ew.” Alpha sputters. York can’t help but feel a little offended.

“Hey, fuck you. I’m a catch.” Alpha just grimaces in response, before turning back to Donut.  
“So what have you got for us today?”

Donut clears his throat before grinning even wider. “I was thinking maybe trying braids? You’ve definitely got the mini buns down pat, so let’s try something new.”

“What the hell is this?” York whispers to Alpha.

“What does it look like? I’m learning how to style my kids hair. Some of the employees at Invention taught me the basics when the twins were younger. Thought I could stand to learn some more now.” He shot back.

The more time he spends here, the more questions York has.

It’s Saturday morning, and York watches as Theta tears down the stairs and runs into Alpha’s room. The kid presumably says something, before running back up the stairs. York doesn’t pay it much mind. He’s attempting to read the book Delta had recommended, when Alpha stumbles into the kitchen to start the coffee machine. 

“Gonna invite the neighbors over later, so prepare for that.” He half states, half yawns, as the coffee begins to percolate.

“Alright.” York says, turning to look at him. “When do you thi…. hey what the fuck are you wearing?”

“Clothes.” He deadpans.

“Ok, yeah I see that. I mean why are you wearing a skirt?” Because he is, a long peasant skirt in various shades of tan to brown.

Alpha rolls his eyes. “It’s skirt day” he states, as if it explains everything.

“And what is skirt day?” York questions.

“Exactly what it fucking sounds like.”

“Why?”

“Huh, that’s right, I don’t know if you had been hired yet. Basically when Theta was around the twins age, right before North was hired, he was super obsessed with this one fairy tale book we had. So Tex went out and bought him a skirt like the one the princess had, cause he wouldn’t stop talking about. Surprise, surprise though, the Director is a bastard and pitches a fit. And since I’m a contrarian prick, the next day I take when of Tex’s skirts because solidarity.” He pauses for a breath before continuing.

“Needless to say, it didn’t end well. And I figured that since the Director is no longer able to tell us what to do, Theta can wear whatever he damn well pleases. And some days he decides that it’s a family skirt day, so D and I and the twins wear skirts for the day with him. Sometimes D will wear em into work, and others he’ll just change into one when he gets home. I think Theta roped the neighbors into it last month or so. They’re pretty chill about the whole thing. It’s sorta a mini holiday now. You don’t have to wear one if you don’t wanna though.”

“Oh no, I’m totally doing this. Can I borrow one of D’s?” York says quickly. Alpha laughs before telling him to go ahead. When Theta comes down again, in a purple skirt with blue stars, and sees York at the kitchen table wearing a simple white skirt, his face lights up.

The neighbors make it over around ten. York hears them before he sees them, when someone calls “Church! We’re here!” He panics a bit before remembering that all the folks in town refer to Alpha as Church. 

“Finally, our houses aren’t that far apart. What took you so long?”

The voice from earlier sighs. “Caboose couldn’t find Freckles food bowl.”

Alpha leads them into the living room, where York is. “Alright, guys, this is York. York, these are the neighbors. Junior,” he says, turning to look at a kid who’s about the same age as Theta, with patches of vitiligo. “Theta’s in his room.” The kid nods, turning to go upstairs. “And don’t go outside with telling me or your dad first!”

The voice from earlier turns out to belong to Juniors dad, a short man with locs, who introduces himself as “Lavernius Tucker, but everyone just calls me Tucker.” Behind him is a tall guy with a head full of curls and a serious case of baby face. He tells York “My name is Michael J. Caboose, and I am Church’s best friend!” York can’t help but wonder how that came about. 

The neighbors are weird, York decides, but so are they. Alpha seems to get along with them, and Theta and Junior are as thick as thieves. York shows off some magic tricks he knows, to the delight of the kids and Caboose.

That night however, when the neighbors are gone and the kids getting ready to sleep, York finds himself thinking about the others back at Invention. He wishes he could at least let them know he’s ok, and be able to talk to them. He settles for looking at old pictures on his phone. Pictures from the company picnic, and from a Halloween party a couple years ago, the one where the pumpkin incident came about.

York’s reminiscing is abruptly interrupted by Alpha stating “No moping on my couch.”

“I’m not” York began.

“Eh, you kinda are. Listen, I was going to apologize so. Sorry. I’ve kind of been an asshole, and you don’t deserve it, it’s just like association? If that makes sense. But D vouches for you, and so does Tex. Which is a bit weird but whatever. Plus even Carolina likes you, so you can’t be all that bad.” 

“I thought you and Carolina didn’t get along.” York questioned.

Alpha laughs. “Oh no, she definitely doesn’t like me. But I don’t think I could ever really hate her.” God, what a mood York thinks to himself. Alpha continues on saying “A part of me will probably always see her as that little girl with the red pigtails.”

“Excuse me, pigtails?!” York says incredulous. Alpha grins and hurried to his room, before coming back with an old looking album. He flips through the pages until he finds what he’s looking for, and turns to show York. The picture is of a younger Alpha and what looks like a younger Tex. In between them is a little girl with bright red pigtails and a wide grin.

“Is that…..”

“Yep. Baby ‘Lina. She used to be allowed to run around the facility, especially in our quarters. Then Allison passed.” Here he flips to a picture of him and a woman who looks like an older version of Tex with long hair. 

“She was the Director’s wife, and Carolina’s mom. After she passed everything got worse, and we didn’t see Carolina until she got hired as the twins handler.”

“Well shit.” York said, eloquently. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was Carolina like as a kid.”

Alpha smiled. “Just as stubborn and competitive. But she wasn’t as serious as she is now. That’s more a recent development.”

York shakes his head and laughs. “God I don’t know what’s weirder, Carolina with pigtails or Carolina smiling like that.”

The rest of the album is similar photos, with one of Theta when he was younger, and one of the twins as babies. 

“I just wish Carolina would realize that she shouldn’t have to push herself like this for her dad's approval. She’s already an amazing person, and the Director is just a bastard.” York mumbles.

Alpha laughs long and hard at that. “No question there. Dear ol Dad screwed us all over.” At York’s questioning look, he sighs and explains exactly where they all came from.

“Wait so you’re Carolina’s brother?”

“Biologically, yeah. But I don’t know if she’d say the same.”

“When did my life get this weird.” York wondered.

“Minute you got hired, buddy. Anyway, I’ve got to go make sure everyone’s in bed, cause it’s late.”

As Alpha headed upstairs, York looked again at the pictures of a younger Carolina, and vows to make her smile like that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any errors are because most of this was written on a bus


	6. A Thousand Miles from Nowhere

The job of Recovery One, Washington soon figures out, involves a lot of waiting around for something to happen. There’s a lot of false trails, a lot of starts that send them on wild goose chases. Most of the higher ups at Invention are uneasy, and even Carolina seems a bit frayed around the edges.

He’s outside a club in Nevada when a window breaks somewhere above him and a ghost comes tumbling out. South looks about the same as she did that day before the explosion. She’s staring up at the window she just crashed out of, a triumphant grin on her face.

“That’s for having more money than morals, dipshits!” She crows.

“South? What the hell, we thought you were dead!” Washington cries, his voice going higher and higher. At that, South looks at him and her eyes widen. It would have been comical if it weren’t for the situation. She groans “Why the Rookie? Why me?” before grabbing his wrist and leading him away from the club, where several very unhappy folks were beginning to assemble.

She takes him to a hotel room, and leaves him outside by the door. “It’s nothing personal, I just don’t want to be killed for bringing you in without warning anyone first.” So Wash waits in the hallway, as the voices behind the door start yelling at each other. Next he knows the door slams open, and York is looking wildly at him.

“Oh shit it is you!” He cheers. He lets Washington into the hotel room. Inside is not just South, but Tex, the Triplets and Connie. Washington can’t help it, he starts crying.

Someone utters softly “Oh shit.” 

Washington cries as Iowa scoops him up into a bear hug.

“You assholes! We had a funeral for you jerks! And here you all are in a hotel room in Nevada, with Tex of all people! No offense Tex.”

“Believe me, we wish we could have done this without that. But we had to insure the Director wouldn’t be on the look out for us. It had to be believable.” Connie explained. “If he knew what we were doing, what we’ve found out, we’d be persona non grata.”

Tex orders in Chinese food, and they spend the evening bringing Washington up to date. Ohio had cut her hair for one thing. York was half blind now, which was a tad worrisome, and was sporting a green beanie. When asked about it he shrugged and said Alpha had knit it for him while he had been staying at their house. Wash decided not to question it further.

“Ohio thinks she may have stumbled upon a rival spy group.” South jokes.

“I did though! I totally did. Listen, I was at this classy bar in some city, looking slick in a tux, right? So I’m leaning against the bar while scoping the place out, keeping watch so Idaho and Iowa can plant some evidence to further a false trail we’d been working on. And this lady comes up to the bar, real femme fatale type. She exchanged words with the bartender, asks for a White Russian and winks. Next thing I know, the bartender is gone, into the back.” Ohio says.  
“Would have been cooler if it was whiskey on the rocks.” Iowa mumbles.

“So the lady and I are talking, when the bartender comes back with a mysterious package, which he hands her. I’m telling you, this is some James Bond stuff!” Ohio shouts.

“Yeah, didn’t that bar catch fire while you three were there?” Tex drawls.

“I thought we agreed that was South’s fault.” Idaho said shortly.

“Hey what the fuck?” South cried.

“Is it always like this?” Washington asked York, who was more focused on his wonton soup than the drama now unfolding. 

“Oh yeah, totally.” York admitted. “How have things been for you?”

“Well, I got a new promotion. Recovery One.”

“Washington, what the fuck? I thought you said you wouldn’t?” Connie shrieked from across the room.

“Yeah, well I thought you were dead Connie.” Wash replied.

“Ok, you may have a point there. I’ve got to ask though, have you guys found anything?”

“Not at all.” He confessed.

“Then we’re doing our job right. Now, Washington, David, we need to know if we can trust you.”

“Honestly? I’m mostly just glad you guys are alive. That’s like, the best news ever. Of all time. And I would like to think you guys can trust me.”

“Are you willing to betray the Director?” Connie asks.

“Yes. He’s kind of….” Washington begins

“A bastard?” South suggests

“A prick?” York adds

“Going to get what’s coming.” Tex states.

“I was going to say immoral, but yeah those work.” Washington concludes.

Connie begins by showing him some of the data that she’s recovered.

“So Mother of Invention is the main lab for the Directors organization, which is called Freelancer right? And because the Director is incredibly paranoid, there are all these tiny satellite bases around the country. So part of what we’ve been doing is collecting information and whatnot from these satellite bases. We’re on our way to being able to build an ironclad class lawsuit against the Director. But one of the best finds was this.” She says, smiling before showing Washington a CD.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” He questioned.

Connie grinned. “I think Tex is the best to explain this one.”

Tex sighed. “Fine, goddamnit. Long story short, when you assholes were first getting hired, Alpha and I didn’t think much of you. Around the same time, we had made friends with one of the janitors who worked the late night shift. Her name was Marigold, she was in college and working there as an extra paycheck. She was big into music, and had a rock band. Now, the day after we were told about the codenames, we were all poking fun at them. Then Marigold gets this grin on her face, starts writing stuff down. Shows it to me and Alpha. Our joking had given her an idea for a song. She kept working on it over the next couple months, before playing it with her band. The whole song was just warning people not to try and mess with me. Honestly, I thought it was sweet. She quit working as a janitor, but she sent us a CD of the song after she and her band recorded it. Of course the Director found it, and it got confiscated. Never saw it again, until we found it.”

“South doesn’t think its funny.” Ohio whispered conspiratorially. 

“Listen, you got mentioned in it too!” South shot back.

“We didn’t know you guys, we just knew all security and handlers were going to be named after the states, all right. Its nothing personal.” Tex argued. And before Wash knows it, the room dissolves into arguing again.

Washington spends the night in the adjoining hotel room where York, Idaho and Iowa had been sleeping. He and York do some catching up, with telling all sorts of tales about the couple of weeks he spent living with Delta and the rest.

“So um, Wash. If you don’t mind me asking, hows ‘Lina been?”

Crap. Washington has been expecting this, since he learned York was alive.

“Well, she’s…...managing. Honestly she’s just been pushing herself more and more. She looks like she hasn’t slept in forever.” Washington admitted.

York groaned. “Damn it, I knew this would happen. Why does she have to be so stubborn!”

The next morning finds Connie cheering when her laptop dings to signal a finalized decryption. She hurries back to her room to properly read it, leaving the rest of them confused, and syrup somehow in Iowa’s cereal.

When Connie approaches Washington later that day, her demeanor is a stark contrast to how it was that morning. 

“Hey Wash? Got a question for you.” She says, a strange tightness to her voice.

“Okay? What’s up Connie?”

“What exactly do you remember about the Epsilon Incident?” She asks.

“I….I remember seeing Alpha, and then I remember hitting the wall. And that’s it.” He admits. 

A pained expression passes her face. “The files I just decrypted included a medical log that mentioned a memory procedure on you shortly after the Epsilon Incident. It gave no indication of why though.”

The words barely register in Wash’s mind. Yeah, the details of the incident had always been fuzzy, but he had always chalked it up to the nature of it. But now that Connie had said it, well. And he wouldn’t put it past the Director to do such a thing either. He replies the one way he can in this moment, when confronted with this knowledge.

“Well, fuck.”

Washington eventually makes his way to where Alpha, Delta, Theta and the twins are living now, thanks to the address York gives him. He’s not sure what he was expecting, but he finds himself in a small mountain town. He’s doing somewhat of a recon around town, when he stumbles upon Alpha by accident. He’s sitting outside a general store with some other folks, Eta napping on his lap, while he argues animatedly with a guy in an orange shirt.

“I’m telling you, the ability to only be able to run in a snowstorm is the worse choice, because when are you going to use it unless you live in like, Siberia!”

“Ok, I get it Church, calm the fuck down.” The other man says.

“Hey, don’t fucking swear in front of my kid, Grif.”

Their argument is interrupted by a guy with pink hair and a guy in a purple flannel stepping onto the little porch they’re all on. Everyone chatters back and forth until the pink hair guy sighs and says something about someone named Sarge feeding the bears again.

“¡Qué! Viejo bastardo, ¿cuántas veces tenemos que repasar esto?” One guys shouts, while Grif, the guy Alpha was arguing with just groans. 

Wash leaves after a couple more minutes, and find himself outside the door of their house. The door itself is open, with only a screen for between him and the inside of the house. He can hear kids laughing in the backyard, and frogs peeping somewhere in the woods around them. He rings the doorbell, and waits. Delta answers the door, takes one look at him and sighs.

“I’ll assume that you know York and the rest are alive then?”

“Yep.”

“And you’re here so I can tell you that memory is key, right?” Delta asks.

“What was that?”

And Delta stares Wash hard in the eyes and states calmly.

“That memory is key?”

And Washington’s world crumples under him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Tex is talking about is "On Your Knees" cause it got stuck in my head. Lopez is saying "What! Old bastard, how many times do we have to go over this?" Sarge's feeding of the bears is something my aunt and uncle have to put up with from their neighbors. Listen folks, please, don't feed bears. They are wild animals, and feeding them just puts you, your neighbors, and the bears themselves at risk.


	7. Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes

Three years ago:  
“So the man finishes with memory is key, right? Worst joke I’ve ever heard in my opinion, but hey.” Alpha knows he’s rambling, and god, he’s 29 years old, and yet he’s acting like a fucking teenage girl with a crush. “Anyway, did you get what I asked?”

Washington sighs, and laughs. “Yes, I brought you your bad quality candy. You know, I’ve never actually met someone whose favorite candy is those peach rings. Here ya go.”

“You are the best.”

The two of them are sitting on the roof of the lab, and the afternoon is edging towards the idea of rain. The Director had been playing with the idea of having Washington replace Tex as Alpha’s handler, giving her more time to focus on Omega. So the two of them kept getting partnered on stuff. Of course the Director probably wasn’t expecting for things to go quite this well.

Washington is telling some story about a training room mishap, and honestly Alpha would be fine to just spend a little bit of forever up here on the roof with him. He loves Theta and the twins, and D and Tex, but sometimes he just wants a break. Where he doesn’t have to play a role, he can just let go and be. Up here, with the parking lot and the fields beyond stretching on and on beneath them, Alpha can catch his breath.

“Wow, you’re uncharacteristically quiet.” Wash remarks.

“Man, fuck you. I was trying to enjoy the scenery and shit, and appreciate being able to take a break.” He retorts. Wash laughs at this, loud and clear, and Alpha swears he’s going to die right here and now. 

There’s a comfortable stretch of silence between the two of them, until Alpha throws a peach ring at Washington, who sputters in response.

“You’re such a fucking kid.”

“Hey one of us here is raising three kids, and the other got his balls stuck to a grappling hook and can’t get his teammates to stop calling him ‘Rookie’. Really.”

“Ok, I told you that story in confidence, you don’t need to bring it up all the time.”

“What did you think I was going after you told me that story. Honestly, it’s like you don’t even know me.”

“Well I mean, I kinda don’t.” Wash mused

“Huh?”

“I dunno, it’s just. I know that your name is Alpha, and you’re raising three kids you love and adore, and you tell shitty jokes and have bad taste in candy, but that’s about it.” By this time, Wash’s whole face is fire truck red.

“Hmm. Guess we’ll have to fix that then. Hi, my names Alpha, and I’m 29 years old.”

“Oh god this sounds like a support group.”

“Shut up you started this. I like long walks on the beach and-“ He’s interrupted by Washington throwing a peach ring at him.

“Ok, ok! Honestly, I’m not that interesting, sorry.”

“You have fucking superpowers, Alpha.” Wash deadpanned.

“Yeah, but that’s like saying you have blond hair. It’s just one thing. You have no control over it, it just is.”

“Would this be a bad time to say I actually dye my hair this color?”

“Oh for the love of! Fine! Fucking fine! The last movie I enjoyed was ‘Nine to Five’, I’ve known my best friend since the day she was born, I can only cook two things reliably, I kinda wish I had a cat, I’ve never left this compound and I have enough daddy issues to give Freud a hard on. There.” 

“That was the worst introduction ever. Of all time.” Wash replied after a moment of silence.

“Ok, you know what?”

After a beat or two, Wash turned to look at him. “Wait, you’ve never left here?”

“Nope.”

“Not ever?”

“Wash, what the fuck do you think ‘never’ means?” He snapped. “It’s not like I could go up to the Director and ask ‘Yo can I run down to the 7/11? Pick up some SlimJims?’ What would he do, reply like ‘Sure, my test tube bastard. Mind grabbing some tictacs while you’re there?’ Come on.”

Wash is silent now, and Alpha sorta regrets that outburst. He’s about to apologize when Washington speaks up.

“I…shit man. So you’ve spent your whole life in a lab in the middle of nowhere. Did they homeschool you guys or something?”

“Kind of? Like the basics, and then anything that is related to what we can do. Like Sigma got taught physics and chem, and Delta was taught all sorts of tech stuff. I think they have Gamma some psych lessons? I’ve got maybe a high school education. Maybe.”

Out of nowhere Wash starts laughing. Quiet at first, barely there, but louder as it went on.

“Hey what! Man, fuck you, I just have you part of my shitty tragic backstory, and you’re laughing?”

“No, no, it’s not that! It’s just, God, that’s incredibly fucked, but for some reason my mind just got stuck on the fact that you never went to a crappy school dance.” Wash explained.

“Oh.” And great, now it’s Alpha’s turn to blush. Damn it.

“No spiked punch, no teachers as overbearing chaperones, no awkward slow dancing. It boggles the mind.” Wash continues.

“I’m sure I’ve been horribly deprived.” Alpha said dryly.

“Well.” Wash says quietly. “Can’t do much about the punch, or the chaperones, but we could dance. If you want.”

Alpha’s pretty sure his heart just stopped. Is this what cardiac arrest feels like?

“Sorry, that was a bad idea, forget I said anything.” Wash rambles before Alpha cuts him off.

“No! I mean, no it’s fine. Let’s do it, why not.” Play it cool goddamnit!

There’s no music. It’s definitely awkward. But Alpha can’t bring himself to care when the two of them are dancing together up on that roof. Neither of them are great dancers, and toes get stepped on, and he isn’t really sure who’s leading at first. It’s bumbling, and clumsy, and perfect.

It’s the type of fairy tale crap that Allison would read to them in stories, and that he would stay up late and gush about while Beta called him a sap and a nerd. It’s not quite a waltz, not quite of much anything specific at all. In the humid stillness of the afternoon though, it’s something almost sacred.

He looks up, and almost regrets it, because Wash is looking down at him with an easy elastic smile, his whole face red from the tips of his ears down to his neck, and Alpha melts. 

Next thing he knows, Washington leans down and they’re kissing, and holy shit! Holy shit, maybe his heart did stop earlier and he’s dead, because holy shit!

There’s no fireworks or anything, and it’s a bit clumsy at first, but the kiss tastes like peach rings and strawberry chapstick, and a part of Alpha aches from the sheer tenderness.

They pull apart, and Wash laughs, slow and easy. Alpha knows he’s grinning like a fool, but can’t bring himself to stop, or to care for that matter. 

Suddenly the heat of the afternoon culminates in thunder, a sound that has both of them jumping out of their skins as the heavens open up and it begins to pour. As the rain falls around them, Alpha can’t help but laugh along with Washington, as they hurry to get to the stairs leading down from the roof. 

The roof ultimately becomes their spot. Alpha tells nobody, not even Beta. This is something special, something new and more than a little fragile. A sunflower in the field of thorn bushes that is the Mother of Invention Labs. He wants to protect this, whatever it is, for as long as he can. Because while he isn’t sure exactly what would happen if the higher ups to find out, what he does know, with every fibre of his being, that it would quite possibly be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

And because the universe hates him, he was proven right! The Director was not pleased to say the least. That day’s “training session” pulled out all the stops. And the Director decided that since he and Wash were so interested in spending time together, than he wouldn’t mind if Washington watched, would he? By the end of training, Alpha could hardly see straight. The world was spinning, blood was pooling in his mouth. The last thing he remembered was someone calling his name, and a worried face with a head of blonde hair leaning over him. Then everything went black.

When he came to in his quarters, the Counselor tells him about what happened, what he did. He wants to throw up. Price assures him that he’ll be fine, but that the Director has decided not to partner them on the grounds of incompatibility. And Alpha knows that there is nothing he can possibly do to fix this. One more shitshow that life has delt him.

A couple weeks later he goes up to the roof again. It feels wrong to be up there alone, but he stays up there the whole day, watching as clouds go by, and the few trees around the lab sway ever so slightly. He watches as the sky changes color, as the sun meanders on its path across the heavens. Until guards find him, and he’s dragged back into the lab. 

He doesn’t bother fighting them as they do this, nor when they strap him to the chair, one of the scientists favorite toys to use on them. He doesn’t fight when they affix the electrodes, and while he can’t help screaming, one observant scientist notes a definitive lack of swearing and cursing.

Ironically enough, Washington wakes up that day. What Alpha does know is that when he goes to visit (once he’s allowed out, too many bruises and such mean being confined to quarters. The Director doesn’t want folks asking questions.) Wash is cordial enough, polite but confused. Alpha assumes Wash wants nothing to do with him. He wouldn’t blame him, couldn’t blame him if that was the case. But when Wash asked him his name, his heart sunk. Of course. Of course, the Director couldn’t just be satisfied with ruining it one way, of course not! 

Alpha will be the first to admit, he does his best to avoid Washington after that.

But what Alpha doesn’t know is this. When Washington wakes up to North sitting by his bedside, holding a sobbing Theta, he asks what’s going on. Connie’s in the room with them, and she explains that Alpha had escaped. But he didn’t really go anywhere, guards had found him on the roof after hours of searching. Last they had seen him, he was being dragged into Lab Lambda. Then the screaming started, thus why Theta was losing it, despite North’s best attempts to distract him. For some reason, that Wash couldn’t quite place, the idea of Alpha being on the roof alone seemed fundamentally wrong.

What Alpha didn’t know was that Wash would find himself at the store, about to purchase a box of peach rings, before stopping, because since when did he eat peach rings? He had always found them too sweet.

Alpha didn’t know, and Washington couldn’t remember. What a pair they made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is a great song, and is in the movie Big Eden, which everyone should watch. This chapter is a flashback, occurring three years ago. So Alpha and Beta are 29, Wash, and Carolina are 26, York and North are 27, Theta is 7 and the twins are 2. And peach rings are great.


	8. Halcyon

When Washington wakes up, he’s in a small room with the late afternoon sun streaming through blue curtains. His head is pounding, but bit by bit, memories are filtering back into his mind. His immediate thought is fury, because how dare the Director. His next thought is then of resolve. Every one of the Director’s crimes is simply another brick for all of them to use in the construction of a prison, to mason with care and cunning calculation.

However these thoughts of fury and revenge and resolution are pushed to the back burner by the sound of music and laughter outside of the room he is in. Stepping out, he sees a kitchen, and a living room beyond that. He hides behind the kitchen wall to peer into the living room. The music playing is quick-paced and jazzy, with horns and drums. A woman’s voice soars above the instruments, singing about heartbreak while Alpha whirls Iota in the air, the small girl shrieking with laughter. In that moment, watching the two of them in the living room surrounded by an overstuffed couch and an old armchair, spinning and dipping to the sound of Sharon Jones, as the room is lit by the sun outside, they might as well be on an entirely different plane of existence than the lab. In that moment, Washington is struck with such a feeling of rightness. That this is how it should be, how it was meant to be.

Then that moment is over, and whoops, he’s been staring. And now the song is over, and Iota and Alpha are staring back at him. Iota’s stare is that of naked curiosity. Alpha on the other hand is staring and then desperately trying to look anywhere but Washington’s face, trying to ignore the blushing of his own. Washington (barely) suppresses a laugh at that. Somethings never change. Speaking of thing not changing. “Do you still have shitty taste in candy?” he blurts out.

Alpha’s silent for a moment, before he starts laughing. He’s still laughing when the tears begin to fall. At this point Iota begins squiming, so he gently places her down so she can run off to find her sister. He’s still laughing, still crying as Washington embraces him. The embrace is something tender and raw. When they pull apart, Alpha rubs his eyes and smiles.

“I missed you, you asshole.” He mumbled. “Missed you like a lung.”

Washington’s breath hitches as he wraps his arms tighter around Alpha. “I never really went away.” He returns, feeling a bit foolish even as he says it.

“We could have been in the same room, and we’d still be oceans away.”

All Washington can do is nod.

Delta makes dinner that night, salmon and mac n cheese, much to Theta’s delight. Washington and Alpha held hands under the table while Theta talked about the salamander he and Junior found, and the game of HORSE they played at Junior’s house. Eta informs them with all the seriousness of a five year old that she found a monster in her room, but not to worry, because the monster only eats strawberries. Washington tries to find a response to that, and tries to ignore the knowing looks Delta keeps shooting him.

After dinner and dessert, Alpha takes the kids out to the backyard, and Delta heads to his room under the claim of paperwork. Before he reaches the stairs though, he waits until Alpha is out of earshot and then stares Wash in the eyes, says “Don’t fuck this up.” And then he’s upstairs. As far as shovel talks, Wash figures it could have been worse. Outside, he and Alpha sit on the porch as the kids run around trying to catch lightning bugs. Alpha leans against his shoulder, and Wash allows himself to breath in. His friends are all alive, he’s here with Alpha, they’re all safe, and in this strangely domestic scene, he relaxes.

Breakfast at this house, Washington soon finds out, is a somewhat loud affair. Lucinda Williams croons on the radio, eggs cook on the stove-top, and a valiant attempt to call everything together into some semblance of order is made, before being given up on in favor of making sure everyone is in their seats. Eta almost falls asleep into her scrambled eggs a few times, Delta has to make it into work in a couple minutes, and Alpha is still two or so cups of coffee away from coherency.

The little corner of the world that Alpha’s been building for himself seems to easily adapt to Washington’s presence. When Theta finds out that he can skateboard, the kid is ecstatic. The twins are a bit more reluctant about this new edition to the household. 

Surprisingly it’s Eta who warms up to him first. It’s storming pretty hard out one night (it’s storms a lot here in the summer, he’s learned.) and Alpha is asleep, for once. The door creaks open, and there’s Eta, clutching a small pink dinosaur. She peers up at him with those bright green eyes she shares with the rest. He sighs and lifts her up into the bed and under the covers. The next morning she gives him a strawberry of her plate, after explaining that normally it would have gone to the monster. But because she likes the color of his hair, that this one was for him. Wash supposes that it’s a valid reason as any.

Iota follows after her sister, and slowly but surely, Washington finds himself as another fixture of life around here. He gets introduced to Alpha’s circle of friends. They’re definitely….unique. They are also all very loud. His introduction brings a cry of outrage from one end of the general store porch. Alpha sighs, and his friend Tucker explains the whole “Red vs. Blue thing” they have going on. 

“You still outnumber us anyway Sarge. Come on.” Tucker said.

“One nefarious blue in this town is too many!” The man in question shouted. 

“You do realize that the distinction here is just the color of mailbox and shutters right?” Tucker continues.

“Eh, better dead than red.” Alpha adds, causing Tucker to adopt a betrayed expression. 

“What the fuck man, I thought you were going to back me up!” He shouts.

A pale man with glasses and red hair shouts back “Suck it blues!” And then chaos resumes. Someone is yelling, someone is cheering, there’s a crashing noise from somewhere. It’s one of the weirdest things he’s seen, ever. Of all time. 

Later when they’re cleaning up after dinner, he asks “Why do they all call you Church?” Alpha shrugs.

“Well, its not like Alpha’s a common name. So for all legal purpose, I’m Leonard L. Church. And they have a habit of referring to folks using last names. D and the kids have other names, for school and work and shit. We just say the Greek letters are nicknames, a family inside joke. Makes shit easier.” He explains.

“I guess that makes sense.” Wash admits, and goes back to cleaning dishes.

“Hurry up with that, would you? The kids already have the living room set up for a movie, and someone” this part is directed towards the living room, “needs to make sure they can share the popcorn like decent fucking people!” This announcement is met with giggles to Alpha’s exasperation. 

The six of them sit down for a movie, and Wash’s brain short circuits for a moment, because a couple months ago, this is not where he would have pictured himself. Delta had claimed the old armchair and was paying more attention to his copy of “Into The Magic Shop” than whatever movie the kids had picked out. Alpha was pressed against Washington’s side, working on a blue scarf. The two of them had a twin on each side, and Theta had brought his bean bag chair down from his room. He takes a picture to send York and Connie. 

The movie was nice, some adventure movie or another about a barn cat and a pug, and narrated by an enthusiastic British voice. To be honest, Wash might have dozed off once or twice, judging by the small smack on the arm he receives from Iota. 

The whole thing is domestic and sweet, this strange family in this tiny mountain town. Washington remembers a quote from a story he had read once, and figured it applied pretty well here. “If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, this chapter is just mostly fluff. It's short and sweet, and not much plot but hey. The song referenced is 'Stranger to My Happiness' by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and the movie they watch is Milo and Otis cause its a sweet movie that my sister and I watched religiously as kids. And "Into The Magic Shop" is a very Delta book to read, I think. Lastly, to all y'all who have commented on this story, I want to thank you guys so much. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the story, because I enjoy writing it, and really enjoy reading your comments.


	9. Over The Divide

North tries very hard to focus on the positives parts of his life. But it is getting very hard to do that right now, despite his best efforts. The labs felt weird without everybody else there. Without the youngest charges, the hallways seemed so quiet. The work day seems so long with York dead, and Wash MIA. So strange without his little sister around to worry about.

So empty.

If he’s still be honest, he’s scared. About a lot of things right now. About Wash, and Theta, because there is still a chance they are safe, and he doesn’t know if he can take losing anyone else for good. He’s scared of the look in Sigma’s eyes when the Director talks about Alpha. He’s scared both of and for Carolina, and with each passing day that fear grows.

North is a man used to comforting, but what do you do when there’s no one around to comfort? Or who even wants to be comforted?

Nothing makes sense.

But when Carolina drags him aside, he’s really not surprised. He asks what this is all about, despite already expecting what the answer will be.

“This is about closure. And ending this.” She states with such confidence. It’s a terrible confidence, the kind of self assuredness that starts wars, commits atrocities in the name of it being right.

The two of them split up to cover more ground, since none of the Recovery missions have really achieved much. North does something no one else had thought of. Its a shame, he figures, that all the higher ups and such at the lab spend so much time on the miraculous, that the forget the mundane.

North uses the “Find Friends” app on his phone.

Its a simple solution, and it leads him to a small mountain town. The town in itself isn’t anything unusual. There’s a general store with a porch out front, a grocers, a barbers, a video rental, a statue in honor of something that no one really remembers anymore. But according to his phone, this town contains one David Washington, and that makes it important enough.

Washington is found easily enough, in the grocers of all places. He’s pushing a shopping cart, and talking to someone on the phone. North hides behind a dessert display and listens.

“Okay, yes, I get it. I get why she has to come down. But does it have to be all of you. I personally enjoy all of your company, but I’m not the only person in question. And honestly, I don’t think the house can hold that many people, even if it is for a short while.”

He’s silent as the person on the other end speaks, while he looks over the shelf of cereal in front of him.

“Yeah, but he gets all broody the more of you come here. And not like romance novel broody, I mean like what the chickens go through. He gets all stressed and even more overprotective of the kids. Listen, one of the neighbors has some chickens, I know what I’m talking about. He’s even got one rooster, I think it’s trying to kill me. Mhm. No, I swear. He’d win gold if mother henning was an Olympic event. It might be his true calling in life.”

By now Washington is in the produce aisle, picking out peaches and apples as he listens attentively to whoever he is talking to. North has so many questions.

“Alright. I get it. I’ll talk to him and the others when I get back. Alright. Yeah, everyone’s doing good, I’ll tell them you said hi. Talk to you later.”

North tails Washington back to a small house with blue shutters and a bench swing on the porch. The whole thing just adds confusion. Why is Washington here? Who was he talking to, and about who? He’s listed as MIA as a part of a top secret organization, why is he here in some tiny mountain town, unloading groceries out of a car?

There are chalk drawings on the driveway, and kids rain boots by the door. Is he visiting family? Why wouldn’t he tell any of them if he was? Although, North would understand if it had been a spur of the moment decision, brought about by the stress of the past couple months. Washington had mentioned sisters before, hadn’t he? Still feels weird that he hadn’t thought to tell anyone.

North retreated into the woods around the house to try and gather his thoughts, and maybe call Carolina, let her know he found Washington, and that he seemed safe. Reception was spotty however, due to the mountains nearby. Just his luck honestly. He’s sitting by a tree trunk, and for a second he stops and looks around. It’s hot out, but the shade provides respite. It’s extremely green, he can hear frogs and cicadas nearby. If he’s being sappy, it seems like the kind of place for an idyllic childhood, straight out of Calvin and Hobbes, or a Ghibli movie. Or something. This train of thought however is derailed by the sound of movement nearby. Next he hears a kid belting out a song.

“I've got a dog and my dog's name is Cat,  
Bet you never heard anything as crazy as that.  
But not only that, I've got a cat  
And my cat's name is Dog, like my dog's name is Cat.”

And into a clearing steps Theta. It’s a bit strange to see the kid outside the labs, and instead of the usual hospital like gowns, Theta is clad in overall shorts, an old t shirt, a pair of galoshes, and what looks like a dozen or so bracelets. There’s an oversized walking stick in his hands, purple streaks in his hair and a dog by his side. 

The two of them stare at each other for a couple beats, and then Theta is launching himself at North. Theta tackles/hugs him, and quite honestly, knocks some of the wind out of him. North’s eyes remain dry, and free of tears, through sheer willpower alone.

“North! Its you! You’re here! This is the best week ever, cause Monday we got Spork and Missy, and now its Friday, and you’re here! You gotta come see my room, it’s got stars on the ceiling, and I got a skateboard, and Wash’s been showing me cool tricks! I can’t really do any of them yet, but that’s not important. And I got a dog!” He cheers. “This is Spork, he goes on adventures with me, cause Junior is still at school.”

North’s head is spinning. So Washington isn’t visiting family, but instead is here, with Theta. And if Theta is here, than he’s willing to bet the rest of them are here too. So that’s some questions answered, but so many new ones. 

Theta is oblivious to this personal crisis, and is now leading him to the backyard. There’s a trampoline, and a tire swing, and a ladder leading to an open window on the second floor. 

“That goes to my room.” Theta explains. “Alpha said to try and track as little mud in as possible, and the ladder helps a bunch!” 

He leads North up to the back door, and calls into the house “I found North!”

This announcement is immediately met with a shriek from who North can only assume is Alpha.

“WHAT?”

“I found North! He was in the woods outback!” Theta responds cheerfully, bringing North into the living room, where Wash and Alpha are staring at him. Alpha looks distraught, and begins rambling. 

“Shit, shit, shit, I knew it, I knew it, nothing can never be fucking easy, can it. Fuck! Wash, grab the kids, find Delta and run. I’ll stay here, hopefully try and meet up with you guys late if I can, shit, they’re probably on their way here now. I relax for one fucking second…..Son of a bitch!” 

At this point he’s shaking, and North is pretty sure he might be crying. North watches as Washington leads him to the couch.

“How about we not jump to conclusions, and let North explain what he’s doing here before you start to hyperventilate.” He says calmly.

“Fine. Be rational, asshole.” Alpha mumbles with his head in his hands.

Wash looks over at North. “It is great to see you, but no offense, how did you get here?”

“I used the Find Your Friends app on my phone. It track your location.” North explains simply. From the couch, Alpha curses quietly, something along the lines of “Why the fuck didn’t I think of that, anyone can track phones” and so forth.

“I found him in the woods. He was sitting under a tree.” Theta explains.

“You mentioned.” Wash says. “How about you go check to see if Junior is home yet? North and I have some stuff to talk about.”

Theta complains, but heads down to where the driveways intersect. Washington leads North over to a kitchen table. North wants to assure Wash that he’s not here to cause trouble, wants to ask what the hell is going on, wants to at least be able to communicate this thing, whatever it is, out so that its resolved. Instead, what he says is this.

“I...what was that?”

“What was what?” Wash asks.

“What just happened in the living room.” He clarifies.

Wash shrugs, an awkward look on his face. “Sorry. He figured you were here to bring them all back. In his defense though, that did seem like the mostly likely reason.”

North is still very, very confused, but he’ll let that particular thought go for now. “Why are you here?”  
“It’s a long story, North.” He sighs. “I guess first and foremost, I should tell you that York and South and the others aren’t dead.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Yeah, those bastards faked their death in order to betray the Director. Right now I think they’re somewhere around Oregon. The state, not our coworker.” Wash explains.

North stares at the table. “I don’t know whether to cry or to track them down and either demand an explanation, or fight them. I think I’ll go with crying first, and then the others.”

Washington laughs. “Yeah, that’s about the same reaction I had. You won’t have to track them down though, they’re on their way here. Should arrive in a week or so. Provided South doesn’t try and kill Tex for control of the radio.” He says nonchalantly.

“Oh?”

“Tex refuses to play anything other than her CD collection. Let’s just say that South isn’t a huge fan of Tom Waits and Bela Fleck, and leave it at that.”

Washington goes on to continue telling North about all that he’s missed, including but not limited to, Delta having a job, Theta’s friend Junior, the neighbors in general, debating about whether Theta should go to summer school, the unholy alliance of Tex, South, CT and Ohio, and Freckles the rooster. When he explains why he specifically is staying here, his whole face turns red, and North barely restrains himself from teasing the rookie about it. Somethings never change.

Theta eagerly shows off his room to North later, and introduces him to the cat, stating proudly “This is Missy, short for Missile Launcher. She likes salmon.” The room has an empty terrarium in it, which he explains one of the neighbors gave him for frogs, but is empty since the best place for the frogs is outside. He shows off his skateboard, and some sort of handheld game. 

While Theta was happy for the most part when North saw him each day at the labs, he’s simply so much more here. Theta tells him about Skirt Day, and the adventures he goes on with his friend Junior. North is overjoyed for him, but a tiny part of him wonders how he fits into this new world. There’s certainly no need for a handler in this environment. Where is his role in all of this. 

But then Theta shows off the fireworks that he had been working on, and a week later everyone arrives and piles out of Tex’s pick up. South manages to let him get one good bear hug in and even lets him fret and lecture her on “Dropping of the face of the planet, and why couldn’t you have at least told your twin brother about the fact that you weren’t dead?”

After everything is worked out, they have a cookout. Because what else could possibly done in that situation? Tex commandeers the grill, and no one is brave enough to challenge her for control of it, so it stands. Certainly not the neighbors, who come over. Judging by the wary glances Tex receives from the Hawaiian man in orange, who North is told later is Grif, they might have learned the hard way not to mess with Texas. Alpha isn’t super pleased with everyone's presence, especially all the handlers, but then Caboose brings over his pet rooster, Freckles. 

Apparently watching elite, highly trained operatives being terrorized by a territorial rooster with a lust for blood is enough to get Alpha to relax. Later, he’s on Caboose’s shoulders, and South is on Iowa’s, attempting to push each other off. North can’t help but think this will end in disaster, but Tucker and Ohio are egging them on, and York and Grif start a betting pool. The kids are all cheering from the trampoline. Finally Tex calls for dinner, and North breathes a sigh of relief.

It’s definitely not something North would have imagined, but that makes it even better he thinks. He and York yell at Wash to “Swallow, goddamnit, will you?” when he starts choking on a burger, which earns them a reply of “Bow chicka bow wow!” from Tucker. 

Its the kids chasing each other with water guns after they eat. Its the girls ganging up on Simmons, much to Grif’s delight. Its Alpha muttering about “How can you possibly get that much barbecue sauce on your face and clothes. I’m pretty sure this goes against science, you know that Iota?” while the little girl giggles as he vigorously tries to wipe off the offending sauce from her cheeks. It’s Donut convincing Doc and Connie to get on the trampoline with him. It’s Sarge and Lopez giving Theta and Junior sparklers once it gets dark out, and Delta distributing glow sticks.

Things are different. But this definitely couldn’t be called empty. Nor could it be called quiet.

There might not be a place for handlers here. But there's more than enough room for friends and families. North finds he much prefers that title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was going to have Freckles as a dog, but the idea of him as a roosters was far more appealing. Caboose has three other chickens, named Susanna, Loretta, and Monster Truck. The song Theta is singing is by Barry Louis Polisar from his album "My Brother Thinks He's a Banana and other provocative songs for children." I would like to apologize to my English teacher here for my liberal, and frankly shocking usage of commas. Blame Victor Hugo for it.


	10. Windfall

Alpha is so tired. Sleep has always been a fickle bitch, and seems like it’ll continue to be that way for a while. It’s okay though. He manages.

Mostly.

He definitely thinks that the sheer fact of no longer being at Mother of Invention Labs has done wonders for his overall health. But as Delta would point out, distance and time can’t actually cure everything.

And he knows that Washington worries when he wakes up and finds Alpha awake, watching lightning bugs from the window. Just like he worries on the days when he is closed off and angry and bitter and so, so tired.

He wished Wash would worry less. He wish Delta and Tex would too for that matter.

If wishes were fishes and all that bullshit.

One incident that had Wash fretting had been informally labeled as the Trampoline Incident. Alpha had obliged the kids request for him to join them on the trampoline after dinner. It was a nice night out, a gentle breeze preventing it from being too hot. Alpha had laid down for what seemed like a second. The kids had ran back inside after a while, which a distant part of him acknowledged. He watches the clouds float by, and the sky slowly darken, until next thing he knows, Wash is shaking him. 

“The fuck do you want?” He manages to mumble.

“You fucking asshole, don't scare me like that again.”

He wants to ask what’s wrong, what did he do, why is Wash so worried, but he’s so tired, and everything aches, and it’s dark out, so he remains quiet as Wash scoops him up and carries him into the house.

Its three weeks after the Trampoline Incident and Washington is out of state, visiting family in D.C, a fact that Alpha finds hilarious. He’s staying for a couple days though, which makes it decidedly less funny. The whole week has been rainy, so he spends the first day sans Washington curled up on the couch watching movies with the kids and a dull ache in the back of his head. He ignores it to the best of his ability and ignores the quiet looks from Delta. 

The bed feels weird without Wash there to hoard the blankets, but Alpha closes his eyes and tries his best to create some facsimile of sleep, because he swears he heard somewhere that laying down and closing your eyes has a similar effect to sleep if you can’t get anything better. 

Alpha dozes off for a glorious forty minutes until he’s snapped into reality by Missy the cat batting him in the fucking face because her food bowl is empty. Which is inaccurate because really all the food is shoved to the sides of the bowl, leaving an empty center. She’s just being a bastard, and she knows it. He tells her as much and glares while she butts her head against his leg.

Missile Launcher is a master of psychological manipulation. He’s tried explaining this to Wash multiple times to no avail.

Its summer, and because of this there's a small group of tourists around. Alpha understands to a point, the land around town is beautiful, but at the same time he wishes they would go away. Especially because its Thursday, which is “Run Errands Day” and the grocery store is crowded as hell. He’s got all three kids with him and a tension migraine as he tries to keep Theta from wandering off, Iota from grabbing whatever she wants off the shelf and making sure everything on the list is picked up.

Halfway through grocery shopping Eta has a meltdown. She had been on edge the whole time from the increased levels of noise and the sheer number of people, but it comes to a boiling point when their in the bread aisle and some kid keeps trying to touch her hair. Alpha does his best to comfort her, while arguing with the others kids mom. She states that he should really control his kids better which the wrong fucking thing to say. 

It was not necessarily Alpha’s proudest moment but damn if he didn’t he make his point. 

He vents about it over the phone to Washington later. Shitty lady not teaching her shitty kid about bodily autonomy and basic respect.

Eta spends the rest of the day clinging to Alpha and mostly nonverbal. He’s kinda used to doing things around the house while carrying one twin or the other. He thinks doing chores with one hand might be his real power. The day goes on.

When Delta gets home he mentions that he’s picked up all the paperwork needed to enroll the kids for school next year, and to get Theta into some summer classes. The two of them fill the paperwork out after the kids go to bed, but after a while Alpha is just staring at the paper, zoning out. Delta doesn’t quite force him to going to bed, but the intent is clear.

That night he actually has an excuse for not sleeping, because somehow a bug was in the room. If he had to bet, he would say it was most likely something Theta did. It wasn’t that Alpha didn’t like bugs, but trying to fall asleep while some little bastard buzzed near his face was unpleasant.

The third day, the sky is actually clear for once. It’s a fucking miracle. He takes the kids over to Tucker’s, where he and Caboose had laid out a tarp and ran a hose to create a water slide. Freckles the rooster may not have met his match in Spork the dog, but he’s at least willing to pretend he has, and honestly that’s all they can ask for right now.

That afternoon they make cookies at Iota’s insistentence. Alpha’s kind of impressed that it went without any incidents. Three sheets of chocolate chip cookies and the fire alarm didn’t go off at all. A personal record.

A part of him wonders how the Director would feel to see them now, the kids covered in cookie dough and screeching with laughter. Iota’s grin is blinding as she flaps her arms. The Director had spent so much time and energy into creating perfect weapons, but despite his best efforts, he had failed. 

Washington gets back sometime around 4:30, and is greeted by the kids and Spork. As Theta excitedly recounts the last couple days, Wash grins at Alpha. 

“You managed to make cookies without setting anything on fire?”

“Shut up.”

He laughs before continuing to talk. “Brought you more of your shitty candy. And some actually peaches, there was a farm stand on the way back.”

“You have redeemed yourself.” Alpha mumbled.

Having Washington back was nice, a grounding presence to fall back on. 

That night he sleeps pretty good all things considered. It’s not great, but it’s something. It’s nice. He even manages to sleep in somewhat. 

He’s still tired. At this point he probably wouldn’t know how to function without it. But he’s doing better he supposes. He’s got the kids, and Delta and Tex. He’s got the Reds and Blues. And now he’s got Washington, who remembers his shitty taste in candy. Really what more does he need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s very fun to imagine Church and all of his righteous fury at like a PTA meeting or something. That’s all.


End file.
